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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

0. W. CRONK.

Suction Box for Paper Machines.

Patented June 14,1881.-

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (ModeL) 0; WfGRONK. Suction Boxfor Paper Machines. No. 242,815.

Patented'june l4,

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. CRONK, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SU CTlON-BOX FOR PAPER-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 242,815, dated June 14,1881.

Application filed January 21, 1881. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAS. W. GRoNK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey,have invented anew and useful Suction-Box for Paper-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to ainimprovement in suction-boxes forpaper-machines; and it consists in a novel construction for operatingthe revolving perforated shell sometimes used for removing the frictionof the wire apron upon the suction-box.

It also consists in forming the perforated shell of hard rubber, as asubstance far more durable and anti-friction in its character than thebrass hitherto used.

' It also consists in combining witheach of the long and short feltscommonly used for carrying the new paper to the pressing-rolls asuction-box to aid in clearing the paper of its water, and especially toremove from the felts the pulp auddirt which ordinarily accumulate uponthem to such a degree that they need removal from the machine daily forwashing, thus entailing a great loss of timeover two hours daily. By theuse of my improved suction-box the pulp and dirt can be drawn completelythrough the felt, and they can be run continuously upon the machineuntil worn out, thus saving about fifteen hours time weekly in theoperating of the machine. As any friction upon the felt would tend todestroy them very soon, an anti-friction surface must be provided uponthe suction-box and a powerful suction to operate through the sheet ofpaper and felt and affect the foreign matter upon its upper surface.

The revolvin g covers hitherto employed upon suction-boxes have involvedthe use of complicated constructions and many air-tight joints, and themechanism for regulating the width of the sucking apertures has usuallybeen applied to the interior of the perforated shell for the purpose ofclosing all the openings around the end portionsof the same. Myinvention obviates this necessity, with the risk of leakage and frequentneed of water'packin g which it entails, by mounting the perforatedshell it upon a cylindrical suctionbox, which itself closes all theopenings provided in the shell,

except a limited number along the top of the box, where the box isslotted or drilled to place the wire cloth or felt upon the shell incommunication with the sucking apparatus.

' The row of apertures in the top of the suc- -tion-box body is easilyclosed at pleasure to any extent by a sliding plate at each end, the twobeing operated simultaneously to narrow the suction-openings equally ateach side of the sheet. By limiting the area upon which the suctionoperates to one side of the shell upon a narrow line, instead ofdiffusing itover a large area, the force of the suction is greatlyincreased, and I am able to produce the effects described in cleaningthe felt.

My method of construction will be understood from the annexeddrawings,in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my suctionbox; Fig.2 is a view of the shellA detached;

Fig. 3, a section of the box on line as w in Fig. 7.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the box; Fig. 5, asection on line 3 y in Fig.7, and the latter figure is a top view of the box with the perforatedshell removed'to show the ports or apertures formed in one side of thebody; Fig. 7, a longitudinal sectionof the box. Fig. 8 is a side view ofthat part of the Fourdrinier paper-machine upon which the felts aremounted, showin g the arrangement of the suction-boxes as I apply themto the felts and wire.

A is the revolving perforated shell, adapted to be rotated by themovement of the wire or felt over it.

B is the stationary body of the suction-box, formed of atube fittedair-tight to permanent heads B, which project above the tube thethickness of the shell A, as shown at S, and the shell is mounted uponthe body B so as to revolve air tight between the flanges S. Openings kk are formed in a row upon the top of the box B, and one of the heads Bis provided with a tubular neck having a union,J, at the end forconnecting with-the ordinary ejector. With this construction it isobvious that the vacuum acts solely through the ports 7c 75 and operatesupon any body applied to the openings a a of the shell A which happensto be opposite or over the ports.

To close the ports at each end of the box, slides O are applied to theinside of the box and operated by cross-heads G, fitted to the slides,and provided with a right-and-left-hand screwinserted through the headB. The screw is mounted in a standard, I, in the middle of the box, andthe cross-heads kept from turning around by feathers H upon the sideopposite the slides, and, a square being provided upon the outer end ofthe screw, the slides can be set with perfect case while the machine isin operation, and the width of the ports exposed indicated exactly by ascale, L, marked upon one of the slides outside of the head B.

To make a tight joint where the slides pass through the headsstuffing-boxes D are provided, and a neck, F, is formed upon each ofvthe heads to mount the stationary body of the box in suitable bearingsupon any part of the paper-machine where it may be required.

The application of my improved box to the machine is made by placing thebox near the couch-roll in the place of the guide-roll usually employedto lead the wire from the common suction-boxes to the couch-roll.

The suction-power of my box is so great that I am able to substitute itfor both the ordinary suction-boxes, and by locating it at the pointnamed the water is carried the whole length of the wire, and having theaction of the vibrator the whole length, the fibers are closed up into acloser sheet, and much better paper is produced. In Fig. 8this-arrangement is shown, the location of the ordinary boxes replacedby mine being indicated at P, and the location of my suction-box closebehind the couch-roll T being indicated at M, where it may be mounted inthe bearings commonly provided for the guide-roll by clam ping it fast,so that the body B cannot turn.

As my suction-box removes much more water than usual from the pulp, theupper couchroll can be dispensed with and the sheet be carried to thefelts without any injury from the upper roll to the water-marks made inlaid papers.

In Fig.8 the long felt is indicated by the dotted lines K, and the shortfelt by similar lines, K. To clean each of these felts and still furtherremove the moisture from the paper, I

apply a suction-box, N, to the long felt at any convenient point,preferably substituting it for the roll behind the first pressing-rollsW by clamping it fast in the bearings of such roll, and I apply asuction-box, O, to the short felt in theplace of the paper-roll, insimilar manner.

The stands commonly provided for the guiderolls are lettered R, and byutilizing them I am able to apply my invention with great facility andeconomy to the machines in present use.

Having thus described the construction and application of my devices,their operation will be very plain.

The valves or slides 0 being all set to the required width of opening,the machine is started and the motion of the wire cloth and feltrevolves the perforated shell upon each of the suction-boxes without anyappreciable fric- V tion or wear. The pulp will be sucked almost dry asthe wirepa-sses over the box M and the water withdrawn from the body Bby the hollow neck F, suitably connected to the ejector. Between boxes Mand N the sheet is carried forward by the long felt K, and the suctionof the latter box has the effect of removing all the air blisters orblubbers formed under the sheet as it falls upon'the felt. As the box Nis in advance of the first pressing-rolls W, the sheet is delivered tothem very dry and free from the blowing now so common, and the felt isalso made so clean by the action of the suction that it requires nowashing at all, but may be worn out before removal from the machine. Thesuction-box O cleanses the short felt in similar .manner.

That the slides C may adjust the width of the suction accurately, theports k k in the body of the box are preferably made long and narrow,and arranged intwo lines to overlap on one another.

I am aware that a perforated revolving shell has been used before incombination with many devices for restricting the operation of thevacuum to one part of surface, as a surrounding water-box, A, in PatentNo. 83,617, of 1868, and a sectionalsuction-chamber operating upon apart of the interior circumference, as in the same patent, and in No.92,596, of 1869, and No. 83,616, 01'1868; but in all such devices awater-packing and constant supply of thatfluid was required, or numerouspackings upon the inside or outside to secure an effective vacuum at thedesired point and where interior heads were employed to vary the lengthof the cylinder internally, telescopic or sliding tubes were required toconvey the water from the inner chamber to the outer end of the box. Myinvention dispenses with all these needful arrangements by supplying theperforated shell with an internal cylindrical support, which closes allthe apertures to the action of the suction except any one desired point.

The essential feature of my construction is therefore the mounting ofthe perforated shell upon a cylindrical body having aline of ports atone side capable of regulation, as by the slides or valves hereindescribed. These valves might be made with inclined edges and rotated togradually close the inner ends of the ports, or operated in other modesto effect the same object. The projection of the slides affords,however, an exact means of setting them correctly, and as they do notmove' when in use there is no risk of leakage through the bonnets D.

Having thus described myinvention, it will be seen that the constructionadapts it peculiarly to replace the guide-roll under the wirecloth, andthat its great suction-power enables me to dispense with the uppercouch-roll and to lighten the weights required upon the pressin g-rollsW W. I have also found that a very material difference exists betweenthe friction and rate of wear of the perforated shell and inner cylinderwhen made of brass or hard india-rubber. I therefore construct the sameof plain tubes of that material, making the outer tube seven inchesdiameter and three-eighths of an inch thick for the suction-box at M,while for those employed in contact with the felt'I employ an outer tubefive inches diameter and the same thickness. This material revolves withgreat smoothness when wet with water, and consequently wears a very longtime. The heads are fitted over the inner tube tight, and the workingparts all made of composition excepting the shell A.

The standard 1 and feathers H are riveted to the tube B, and thevalve-slides to the crossheads G.

Round holes may be used in the tube B if arranged alternately, as theports k k are shown in Fig. 6.

Having described my invention so that otherscan practice it,I claim thesame, as follows:

1. The method of restricting the operation of the vacuum to a particularpart of a revolving perforated shell in 'a suction-box for apaper-machine, consisting in mounting the same between flanges, as S,upon a smooth cylinder, as B, and forming a row of apertures in thecylinder, as at k k, to communicate with the perforations, as a a, inthe shell, as A.

2. The method of cleaning the feltsin a paper-machine, consisting in theapplication to the surface ofthe felt of suction box or boxes providedwith perforated anti-friction shells adapted to be rotated by themovement of the gelts, substantially as and for the purpose set orth.

. 3. The combination of a revolving perforated shell, as- A, with astationary cylinder provided with a row of ports, as B, and valvesadapted to cover the ports to any desired extent, as G O, the wholeoperating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the shell A, body B, provided with heads B, andvalve-slides G 0, operating through bonnets or stuffing-boxes D D,substantially as herein described.

5. The means for moving the valve-slides G 0, consisting of thecross-heads G G, standard I, and screw E,inserted inside the box andprojecting from one end, substantially as shown and described.

6. The arrangement of the vacuum-box M and its combination with thewire-cloth close behind the couch-roll for dryingthe pulp at the extremeend of its passage over the wirecloth, for the purpose herein set forth.

7. A revolving perforated shell for anti-friction suction-boxes,constructed of hard rubber and revolved upon a cylinder of hard rubberor brass, substantially as herein described.

CHARLES W. OBONK.

Witnesses:

ALBERT F. W001), LOUIS T. MCNAIR.

